Russell Oatman

Warren Russell Oatman (February 19, 1905 – October 25, 1964) was a Canadian ice hockey player. Oatman played 121 games in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Cougars, Montreal Maroons and New York Rangers between 1926 and 1929. His brother Eddie Oatman also played professional ice hockey. He is chiefly remembered as the player who scored at 8:20 of overtime in game two of the 1928 Stanley Cup semi-final against the Montreal Canadiens that put the Montreal Maroons into the Stanley Cup finals against the New York Rangers.

Playing career Although Oatman was born in Ontario, Oatman is first recorded playing organized hockey in Victoria, British Columbia in 1920. He played one season with the Minneapolis Rockets before joining the Victoria Cougars in 1925. The Cougars, Stanley Cup champions at the time, advanced to the 1926 Stanley Cup Finals against the Montreal Maroons, but were defeated. The Cougars' player rights were sold to the owners of the new Detroit franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL) and Oatman joined the new Detroit Cougars. He was traded to the Montreal Maroons in January 1927. He played for the Maroons until December 1928 when he was traded to the New York Rangers. Oatman's time in the NHL ended when he was traded by the Rangers to the minor-league Hamilton Tigers in October 1929. He was later traded that season by the Tigers to the Niagara Falls Cataracts in January 1930.

The end of Oatman's hockey career came on the night of March 13, 1930. While travelling with Niagara Falls Cataracts team-mate Steve Yankoski for a game, the car went off the road to avoid a head-on collision but crashed into a hydro pole. Oatman suffered a broken left leg, which required surgery and a permanent steel plate. He would work in Toronto for a pharmaceutical company, and coach minor league hockey teams.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1924–25 Minneapolis Rockets CHL 27 4 0 4 — — — — — — 1925–26 Victoria Cougars WHL 30 8 4 12 38 4 1 0 1 22 1925–26 Victoria Cougars St-Cup — — — — — 4 0 0 0 10 1926–27 Detroit Cougars NHL 14 3 0 3 12 — — — — — 1926–27 Montreal Maroons NHL 25 8 4 12 30 2 0 0 0 0 1926–27 Windsor Hornets Can-Pro 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1927–28 Montreal Maroons NHL 43 7 4 11 36 9 1 0 1 18 1928–29 Montreal Maroons NHL 11 1 0 1 12 — — — — — 1928–29 New York Rangers NHL 27 1 1 2 10 4 0 0 0 0 1929–30 Hamilton Tigers IHL 7 2 0 2 8 — — — — — 1929–30 Niagara Falls Cataracts IHL 20 6 2 8 2 — — — — — WHL totals 30 8 4 12 38 4 1 0 1 22 NHL totals 120 20 9 29 100 15 1 0 1 18